[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15323]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE MARYLAND STATE MATHCOUNTS TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 16, 2008

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
achievement of the Maryland Mathcounts team at the National Mathcounts 
Competition held in Denver on May 9, 2008. Represented by Jason Hyun, 
Ben Lowenstein, and Sam Zbarsky of Takoma Park Middle School, and Linus 
Hamilton of Hyattsville Middle School, the participants performed 
exceptionally well in the country's largest middle school math 
competition, earning a third place overall group finish. Two members of 
this young team also performed well individually, finishing in the top 
of the quarterfinal round.
  Sarah Manchester, who teaches math at Takoma Park Middle School and 
coached the Maryland team in this impressive performance, deserves 
special recognition. Maryland was the only state to be represented by 
more than one finalist in the individual playoff round, and Sarah's 
efforts to ensure that the students were prepared for this competition 
are reflected in the team's success. Sarah has taught Mathcounts 
students for a decade and continues to donate her time and energy to 
help her students excel.
  More than 6,000 schools participate annually in the Mathcounts 
competition. Since it began in 1983, Mathcounts has had over seven 
million gifted young math students study in the program and participate 
in its competitions. Funded by the donations of generous individuals 
and corporations, the scholarships awarded to the participants provide 
a strong incentive for young people to commit themselves to an 
extracurricular program that builds math skills, improves critical 
thinking, and fosters teamwork. The 17,000 volunteers, like Sarah 
Manchester, who coach the 500,000 middle school students who 
participate each year pass on an enthusiasm for mathematics that is 
rewarding for all those involved.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to commend the students and educators who 
make Mathcounts such a remarkable and successful program. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in applauding the efforts of all the Mathcounts 
participants, and I look forward to watching the program continue to 
showcase the extraordinary talents of our students and their dedicated 
teachers in the years to come.

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